Vaughn's "normalization of deviance" involving the space shuttle was a top-down process of "We have a list of unacceptable risks that we have to accept, and having meetings to manage these." Given that the shuttle had fundamental flaws (e.g. it was the only manned space vehicle that didn't have an escape system) that was the best they could do other than deciding that they weren't going to fly it.<p>It was inevitable, however, that one of the unacceptable risks was going to bite them, and it did, twice.<p>The term "normalization of deviance" is frequently used in the health care context to describe something entirely different, a bottom-up process. That is, nurses and doctors don't wash their hands, skip steps, etc. Upper levels of the institution might fail to control this behavior, but it's a different horror.